Our View: FDA makes the right move on Plan B

The teen birth rates in New Bedford, Fall River and statewide have dropped 20 percent in 20 years, a result of improved education regarding the consequences of unprotected sex, and not because of increased abortions, the rates for which have been dropping steadily over more than 10 years.

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southcoasttoday.com

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Posted May. 5, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Posted May. 5, 2013 at 12:01 AM

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The teen birth rates in New Bedford, Fall River and statewide have dropped 20 percent in 20 years, a result of improved education regarding the consequences of unprotected sex, and not because of increased abortions, the rates for which have been dropping steadily over more than 10 years.

Teen pregancy remains an issue in the SouthCoast cities, though, as the teen birth rates are about 2½ times the overall statewide rate.

The federal Food and Drug Administration's recent ruling to make the Plan-B One-Step, or so-called "morning-after," contraceptive available to girls 15 and older without a prescription starting Monday should serve to bring those teen birth rates down even more.

The importance of the availability to 15- and 16-year-old girls is made plain by two factors. First, exemplified in data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is how many teen births are second, third and even sixth teen births, and their impact on communities: Nearly 1 in 5 births to teens, ages 15-19, are second births; and Infants born from a repeat teen birth are often born too small or too soon, which can lead to more health problems for the baby.

Second, among teens who responded to a CDC survey, the greatest percentage of teens who would be most upset with an unplanned pregnancy are those who have not yet had sexual intercourse or who live with both biological parents. As Juli Parker of the UMass Dartmouth Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality points out, those same girls are most likely to seek an unsafe abortion to avoid telling their parents.

If girls are willing to risk the hazards — including death — of illegal abortion rather than tell their parents that they're sexually active, it seems obvious that the younger teens' access to Plan B will save lives, reduce teen births and be less taxing on society in general.

We would be happier if teens were making the most reasonable decisions about sexual activity, particularly considering studies show that girls under the age of 18 are generally not psychologically mature enough to deal with sex, despite their physical maturity; boys even less so.

Nevertheless, the decision to avoid unprotected sex is a responsible step in the right direction.

As The Standard-Times prepares to hold a forum on Wednesday focussed on raising boys in this complex, modern age, it won't hurt one bit to remember that it isn't easy raising happy, healthy girls, either.